stile antico

One, the prima prattica (or stile antico), was the universal style of the 16th century, the culmination of two centuries of adherence to Flemish models. The other, called seconda prattica, or stile moderno, referred to the new theatrical style emanating from Italy.

While the stile antico, the universal polyphonic style of the 16th century, continued, it was henceforth reserved for sacred music, while the stile moderno, or nuove musiche—with its emphasis on solo voice, polarity of the melody and the bass line, and interest in expressive harmony—developed for secular…

…style was later termed the stile antico, the ancient polyphonic style, in contrast to the stile moderno, the 17th-century modern solo style. In the 17th century these two styles are found, sometimes even juxtaposed, in the Ordinary of the mass settings, along with the use of the concertato principle: one…